George Mason hires Bucknell's Paulsen as coach

Mar 30, 2015 - 10:44 PM
Fairfax, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - George Mason hired Dave Paulsen as its head
men's basketball coach on Monday, bringing in the three-time Patriot League
Coach of the Year to replace Paul Hewitt.

Paulsen coached Bucknell for the past seven seasons, leading the Bison to a
134-94 record and two berths in the NCAA Tournament.

Under Paulsen, Bucknell became the first team in Patriot League history to win
three consecutive regular-season titles.

George Mason athletic director Brad Edwards called him a "proven winner" and
pointed out Paulsen's recruitment of current NBA player Mike Muscala.

"Combine all that with his superb academic pedigree, and we have a coach who
is a perfect fit to execute our vision for a sustainable elite basketball
program," Edwards said in a statement.

Hewitt was fired March 16, four years after taking over for Jim Larranaga. The
Patriots went 66-67 in his four seasons, never making the NCAA Tournament
after Larranaga led them to five berths in 14 seasons, including a trip to the
Final Four.

George Mason was 9-22 this past season, including a 4-14 mark in the Atlantic
10.

The Bison went 19-15 in Paulsen's last season at the helm, including 13-5 in
the Patriot League. They lost to Temple in the first round of the NIT.